Let’s be clear from the start: Smoke and soot contain a chemical cocktail of toxins known to harm and kill people. During a house fire, smoke and soot can billow throughout your home, causing major damage to your property — and to you, if your damages are not properly remediated. When it comes to removing soot and smoke odor, employing cost-saving strategies can be a costly mistake.

Following a severe storm, fire, or other disaster, Wisconsin property owners are exposed to an influx of people from out of state selling services on behalf of roofers, building contractors, public adjusters, and insurance-related businesses. Concealed among the many skilled actors coming to assist our friends and neighbors are a few bad actors intent on taking advantage of people facing complicated property insurance claims. 

After suffering a total loss commercial fire, Ilde and Dan Nielson were among those recognizing De Pere’s public safety officials on Feb. 25, 2020 for going beyond the call of duty.    Two De Pere, Wis. firefighters were recognized on Tuesday for going “Beyond the Call” for their roles in two separate fires in 2019.

There are many reasons insurance companies justifiably deny fire insurance claims. But that doesn’t mean all fire claim denials are justified.

If you’ve suffered a house fire, we’re here to help. Here are some tips for how to maximize the amount of your house fire claim.

As the homeowner, you’re responsible for clearing debris from your property after a fire. The good news is coverage for debris removal is included in most homeowners insurance policies. It’s a necessary expense to bring your property back to its pre-loss condition, but how much is available for the site cleanup and what debris is covered?

Dealing with the aftermath of a house fire is overwhelming. There are things to do, and things you definitely don’t want to do or even attempt to do. We’ve put together the following list of helpful tips to take some of the stress out of a house fire recovery.

When a fire or other covered peril renders your home not fit to live in, your homeowners insurance policy likely provides Additional Living Expense/Loss of Use coverage that pays for temporary housing and other extra expenses you incur to maintain your standard of living. ALE also reimburses you for other expenses that rise above and beyond what you would normally spend.

No one should have to deal with the trauma of a house fire. But if your house burns down, expert advice can help. Here are some of the first things you should do.

One of the most daunting tasks required in the claim process after losing your home to a fire is properly documenting your personal property to ensure you’re compensated fully for what you’ve lost. Completing a total loss inventory list is a high-stress task, and it must be done correctly so as not to leave settlement dollars on the table. Know going in that it will be messy, time-consuming, and require a lot of patience as you meticulously document the many possessions you’ve accumulated over a lifetime.